Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition Tablet Review


Battery Life Testing and Camera Samples

Battery life is an important part of any tablet, and it's clear that Samsung gets that. The larger-than-usual 8,220mAh battery in this device is proof that the company is trying to make its latest slate last as long as possible between charges. In daily use, tapping into the Web, social networks, e-mail, calls, etc., we were easily able to use the Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition for a full day. We squeezed around 18 hours of solid use while still having 25% of the battery remaining. It's safe to say that this slate will last you an entire work day off of the charger unless you're tethering for hours on end or using the display as a movie screen all day long.



Under the pressures of the AnTuTu Battery Benchmark, the Note 10.1 2014 Edition topped most of the tablets that we've tested recently, but not the unit's predecessor. This test attempts to max out the processor, and essentially run the device full-tilt until it's exhausted. There's so much horsepower to be tapped in the Note 10.1 2014 Edition, however, that "full-tilt" led to a score that was just shy of the mark set by last year's Note 10.1. Still, this test shows an "extreme" use metric; real-world testing proved that the battery life is indeed better than most Android tablets on the market, despite packing a power-hungry processor and plenty of functionality.



In general, tablets aren't ideal for taking photos. They're too large to use with a single hand, and frankly, they get in the way of people behind you if you're trying to hoist one up to capture a moment. Moreover, they're pretty easy to let slip, and since there's no dedicated shutter button, you'll be awkwardly reaching around to the front of the display to mash the on-screen shutter button. It's clear here that, as with most slates, the camera on the Note 10.1 2014 Edition is mostly an afterthought. That said, we have to confess that we're fairly impressed with the results given the constraints. Most tablet photos are fairly cringe-worthy, but this unit managed to capture shots that had a decent amount of pop and clarity.



Below are a few examples of what the Note 10.1 2014 Edition is capable of. All of the samples here are unedited, and delivered straight out of the camera.

   
   
   
   
Unedited Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition camera samples; click any to enlarge

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